Bijar Zanjan

Bidjar Zanjan rugs are hand-knotted Persian rugs from the north-west Iranian province of Zanjan and belong to the family of Bidjar rugs. They combine the exceptionally firm, dense construction for which the Bidjar is famous with an often finer knotting and a more colourful palette than the strict pieces from the home area. Anyone who values the robustness of the Bidjar but is looking for somewhat more lightness in drawing and colour will find in the Bidjar Zanjan an independent and long-lived variant of north-west Persian knotting craft.

What is a Bidjar Zanjan rug?

A Bidjar Zanjan is a hand-knotted rug from the region around the town of Zanjan in the province of the same name in the north-west of Persia. It stands in the tradition of the Bidjar and shares its most important features: the symmetric Turkish knot, a dense, firm knotting, a high weight and geometrically marked patterns with a serrated medallion or a continuous Herati motif. Characteristic is the tight, firmly beaten structure that gives the rug its known stiffness and durability.

Zanjan lies east of the Kurdish core area on old trade routes between Tabriz and the central region. The workshops there have adopted the firm Bidjar construction and combined it with their own pattern traditions, often in a somewhat finer resolution and with a broader palette. The Bidjar Zanjan thus belongs to the group of north-west Persian rugs, which also includes the sister provenances Bidjar Bukan and Bidjar Takab and the neighbouring Hamadan area.

Origin: town and province of Zanjan

Zanjan lies in the north-west of Iran on a historical link between Tabriz in the north and the central highlands in the south. The favourable position on these routes has shaped the trade of the region for centuries and bestowed on it a knotting tradition of its own. The province is mountainous, the climate harsh, and the wool of the local sheep is vigorous and well suited to hard-wearing pile yarn.

The commercial importance of the Bidjar Zanjan is closely tied to the reputation of the entire Bidjar family. When the firm rugs of the north-west reached western markets, Zanjan established itself as a centre of its own, whose goods entered the trade under the collective name Bidjar. Within this family the Bidjar Zanjan stands close to the provenances Bidjar Bukan and Bidjar Takab, but is often regarded as the most finely worked and most colourful variant. From the home area around the town of Bidjar it tends to differ in its somewhat lower weight and its livelier palette. The whole region belongs to the family of Persian rugs.

Patterns and colours

Bidjar Zanjan rugs are predominantly geometric, but often with finer stylised flower motifs than the strict pieces from the Bidjar home area. Widespread is a central serrated medallion on a single-colour or high-contrast patterned field, alongside the continuous Herati pattern with its small flower rosette and the four curved, fish-like leaves that give the motif its Persian name Mahi, that is, fish. The border usually consists of several narrow bands with geometric or floral ornaments.

The palette of the Bidjar Zanjan often turns out livelier than in the other Bidjar provenances. Deep red and navy blue form the framework, supported by ivory, warm brown nuances and occasional accents in green or gold. Older pieces show the calm effect of plant-based natural dyeing, for instance madder for the reds and indigo for the blue. Overall the Bidjar Zanjan thus feels more accessible and more colourful without giving up the geometric severity of the family.

Material and knotting technique

The Bidjar Zanjan is knotted with the symmetric Turkish knot, also called the Ghiordes knot. This firm binding wraps both warp threads completely, fits the geometric pattern language and is widespread across the north-west of Iran. It distinguishes the Bidjar Zanjan from most central and eastern Persian provenances that use the asymmetric Persian knot. How the two basic knots differ is explained in the overview of knot types.

The pile yarn is hard-wearing virgin wool from the region; the warp is traditionally cotton. What really makes the difference is the weaving process from the Bidjar tradition: after each row of knots the weft thread is pulled particularly tight and beaten against the knots, so that an exceptionally dense, firm structure arises. The pile is sheared relatively low, which leads to a smooth, even surface and brings out the finer drawing well. How such a rug arises on the loom is described in the article on production.

Knot density and quality

The knot density of a Bidjar Zanjan usually lies between 150,000 and 400,000 knots per square metre and thus reaches into the range of the finest Bidjar qualities. Decisive for the firmness, however, is not the knot count alone but the combination of dense knotting and firmly beaten weft. How knot density influences quality and price, and why it must always be read in connection with material and construction, is treated in its own article.

Because of the dense, firm structure, the Bidjar Zanjan is also heavy and stiff and can hardly be rolled tightly. This property makes it long-lived and dimensionally stable. Anyone judging quality looks for an even, very firm back, clear pattern contours, a saturated colour image and the state of the pile and edges. Finer pieces with a higher knot count show the geometric motifs especially cleanly resolved.

Bidjar Zanjan and related provenances in comparison

Provenance	Relation to Bidjar Zanjan	Typical features
Bidjar Zanjan	this provenance	finer Bidjar variant, colourful palette
Bidjar	umbrella term and home area	extremely dense and heavy, the iron rug
Bidjar Bukan	sister provenance	dense and heavy, clear medallions
Bidjar Takab	sister provenance	firm Bidjar structure, high-contrast patterns
Hamadan	neighbouring knotting region	lighter village rugs, single weft
Senneh	Kurdish neighbouring rug	very fine and flat, Persian knot
Koliai	Kurdish neighbouring rug	robust, strongly geometric

What is a Bidjar Zanjan rug worth?

The value of a Bidjar Zanjan depends above all on age, condition, size, wool quality, dyeing, density and precise provenance. Because of their durability, well-preserved pieces count as a stable store of value, and finer examples with a high knot count and natural dyeing are especially sought after. Within the Bidjar family, the Bidjar Zanjan usually lies in value close to the classical Bidjar, but with very fine knotting can also lie above it.

For a grounded estimate see the overview of rug value, the guide recognising valuable Persian rugs and the general buying guide. Why older pieces with natural dyeing can gain in value is explained in the article on old rugs and their value development.

How do you recognise a genuine Bidjar Zanjan rug?

Reliable indicators of a genuine Bidjar Zanjan are:

• High weight and firmness: the piece is markedly heavier and stiffer than a rug of the same size from another origin, even if often somewhat lighter than a classical Bidjar.
• Symmetric Turkish knot: knotted with the Ghiordes knot, recognisable from the firm, even binding of the back.
• Dense, hard back: the rows of knots sit close together, the back can hardly be pressed in, and fine pieces show very clean contours.
• Geometric patterns with a serrated medallion or continuous Herati motif, often in finer resolution.
• Colourful but settled palette of red, navy blue, ivory and brown.
• Fringes as extended warp threads, not sewn on afterwards.

A step-by-step guide is given in the article Is my rug genuine?, and whether the colours are natural or chemical can be judged with the accompanying article. An overview of all inspection steps is given on the recognising a rug page.

Care

Despite its firmness, the Bidjar Zanjan also needs care. Because of the dense structure, it should not be rolled tightly or sharply creased, since sharp folding can stress the warp. Regular vacuuming in the pile direction and the occasional professional cleaning preserve colour and substance. Dab stains immediately with clear water from the outside inwards, without rubbing. Long direct sunlight bleaches even saturated natural colours. Detailed notes are given in the care overview and in the guide to cleaning a wool rug.